Feb 9th 2022 | Posted in Transportation by Government Contracting Pipeline

Illinois – The state’s Department of Transportation (IDOT) awarded $111.4 million to downstate transit providers and $108.3 million to public ports as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program.
IL America s Central Port Illinois commits $220M to transit, port infrastructure projectsThese announcements, combined with earlier commitments of $40 million to build a port in Cairo, $244 million in additional funding to downstate transit, and $96 million to extend MetroLink Service to MidAmerica Airport, contribute to a combined $601 million commitment to ports and downstate transit.
Among the 51 projects to receive transit funding are:
  • St. Clair County Mass Transit District’s Emerson Park Operational Control Center in East St. Louis, $9.9 million for a new building to house county sheriff’s deputies, transit control center, 911 dispatching, and pilot program to assist riders with mental health issues, homelessness, and more.
  • Rockford Mass Transit District, $16 million for renovation and expansion of transit facility at 520 Mulberry St.
  • CRIS Rural Mass Transit District in Danville, $3 million for new administrative and operations facility.
  • Kendall Area Transit in Kendall County, $4 million for new facility to accommodate administration, dispatch, mechanics, and secure parking for the vehicle fleet.
For the state’s 19 public ports, $150 million in capital funding is available for improvement projects, the first time a state capital program is investing in waterways, with $40 million already committed to a new inland port in Cairo.
The remaining funds are being awarded on a competitive basis. Proposals were evaluated on their ability to advance IDOT’s Illinois Marine Transportation System Plan, which prioritizes asset management performance-based decisions and projects that benefit disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.
Some of the 12 port projects receiving funding are:
  • America’s Central Port District in Granite City, $21 million total investment with $13 million for sediment reduction project in Madison Harbor, increasing operational efficiency and reducing long-term expenses.
  • Illinois International Port District in Chicago, $13 million for Iroquois Landing dock wall rehabilitation at the mouth of the Calumet River and Lake Michigan, part of the Port of Chicago, the largest cargo port on the Great Lakes.
  • Mid‐America Intermodal Port Authority in Quincy, $13.2 million to improve capacity and operations at existing dock and build a second dock.
A third and final round of grant opportunities for downstate transit needs is anticipated in 2022.